The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-08-20
LIGHT AND DARKNESS; PEACE AND
EVIL.
BY REV. J. s. PALMER.
Mansfield, Pa

The prophet Isaiah thus speaks OF
what God does II form the light, and
create darkness; 1 make peace and
create evil; 1 the Lord do all these
things" The work of creating is with
ont limit ascribed to God, the author
of all worlds and all intelligences. We
are told he forms the light and creates
the darkness. We consider the sun to
be the source of physical light which
we enjoy day by day. How the light of
the sun is formed is beyond our con-
ception, yet we live in its light every
day. We know more of the effects OF
light than we do of light itself. We
know it to be absolutely indispensable
to the growth of both animal and veg
etable life. Plants and animals soon
become sickly and unthrifty without
they live more or less in the light. The
earth, with all that lives and grows upon
its surface, is made for as much light
as darkness. This is the divine ordina-
ton of the Creator.
God has not only formed the light,
but he has created darkness. How has
he done this ? What is darkness and
how is it created ? Where is the chem
ist who has ever tried to analyze it :?
What is darkness but the absence OF
light ? We asked our youngest daugh-
ter, when she was a little girl, what
darkness was. She very promptly said:
"Why, pa, it is a great shadow" We
have often thought of the wisdom OF
that reply. Who can give more
truthful or philosophical one2 What
is the darkness of night, but a great
shadow? AS the earth by its revolu-
ton shades itself, and thus gives us the
night for sweet repose. If we could
place ourselves above this shadow we
should have perpetual sunshine, unless
the shadow of some other body passed
between us and the sun. This shows US
very clearly how God created darkness,
and also assures us what darkness is.
Let us now briefly consider peace and
evil. How has God made peace :? If
we look into the planetary world, we
thall see how peacefully they all re-
volve around the sun, as their COM
mon center. No jar, no confusion, no
interference with each other, but each
travels its journey with perfect precis-
ion and harmony. There is no conflict
in the law which controls them, but
they all revolve as peacefully as if but
one planet existed. This is true of our
earth, and all of the great family Of
worlds. But let us look at our own
planets, and the law by which it is
governed. This we have seen to be
like the other planets, only marked by
the different length of time in the per-
Torrance of its journey around the sun.
These years are all of longer or shorter
period, but this does not change their
grand peaceful march around the glori-
Gus orb of day. God is the author of
them all, and his law governs them in
their peaceful fight. He makes peace
among them all.
He has given our globe an atmos-
phere of about forty miles perpendic-
ularly, all around it. This is gaseous,
invisible, elastic substance, in which
we, in common with all the other ami
NAL creation, live and move. We could
not live without it, and it performs a
very important work in vegetable and
animal economy. How peacefully this
air rests upon the bosom of the earth.
This is doubtless its normal condition.
But the sun in passing his rays through
it warns the earth and air, and being
lhus warmed it becomes rariied and
less in density. This causes the cool
air to rush in, and in this way we are
made to experience the gentle breeze
which is so refreshing to US in the hot
summer days. This is the way God
makes peace in the elements.
But if the ratification becomes very
great, as it sometimes does in some por
lions of the earth, and opposing cur
rents meet. the stronger will bear away
the weaker with great violence and
force. This will produce a whirlwind,
hurricane or cyclone, which may do
great damage to life and property.
This is not very peaceful motion of
the atmosphere, yet the law which gov
ems these rude, rapid movements is
perfectly natural and ordained by the
Infinite mind. 1t is the same which
produces the refreshing breeze and fills
all nature with the smiles of heaven.
When we consider the loss of life and
property thus produced we call it evil
evil in the sense that God created it.
The same idea is illustrated by the ma
larious atmosphere which produces the
most forbidding forms of diseases. If
this air is breathed, as it must be, if we
live where the air is charged with it,
we may lose our lives as thousands
have who have thus been exposed.
This is evil in the sense God creates
evil. Breathing malarious air is vio-
lation of the laws of health, and conse-
quently evil as well as sinful, and if we